


Enemy Mine: Stories

by Godsliltippy



Series: Something to Believe In [9]
Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Coping, F/M, Frenemies, Friendship, Lunch
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:28:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24220588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Godsliltippy/pseuds/Godsliltippy
Summary: Set in the Enemy Mine universe, Gordon, Fuse and the rest of their families have to figure out how their friendship is going to work... or not work. It's all a bit complicated.
Relationships: Penelope Creighton-Ward/Gordon Tracy
Series: Something to Believe In [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1121091
Comments: 25
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've wanted to do something with these two since I finished the series, so here's the first of hopefully many fic ideas :D
> 
> Anything y'all wanna see, just let me know! It may or may not happen XD but it my stimulate other story ideas!

"Man, you and hugs," the larger figure laughed as he attempted to extract himself from the blonde. 

"It's been a year," Gordon reasoned into Fuse's chest before the demolitions expert returned a crushing embrace. The groan from the aquanaut sent another chuckle from the larger man. 

With some reluctance, Gordon detached and Fuse was able to get a better look at his friend. It really had been a whole year and the time had treated the iR operative well, the physical damage done by his old employer long since faded. His own issues had healed, though an occasional nightmare would leave him up at the early hours of the morning, drowning them out with a bowl of cereal and images of reporters filming international rescue's latest mission. 

"It has," a toothy grin as they made their way into the restaurant they'd decided on. "Seems you've had a busy one."

"Been spying on me?" Gordon's tone was more jovial than accusatory. 

"News flash, it's not that difficult, seein' as how you lot can't stay off the news for more than a day," they took a seat at one of the patio tables that overlooked the park across the street. 

"Very true. What about you? Enjoying retirement? Sitting in hammocks, sipping margaritas and the like?" A glint of skepticism lay in the blonde's amber eyes. 

Fuse grunted with the irony of what his year had led to, "That got a little old. Decided to open my own place."

Shock took over his friend's face, "Wait, you're telling me you - free to do whatever you want - decided to get a job?"

"It's not a job if ya love what ya do," he countered. "That's how it goes, right?"

Gordon shrugged, offering a knowing smile, "That's how I see it."

They placed their orders and easily fell into a friendly back and forth about what they'd been up to besides work. Fuse had been vague about his sister, knowing Havoc wouldn't appreciate her private life being laid out in front of someone they'd once considered the enemy. Apparently, the aquanaut hadn't felt so inclined with the wellbeing of his own family.

"Nah, don't believe ya," Fuse regarded the blonde skeptically even as his chest spun with the information Gordon had given him. 

The smaller man's jaw hung open as though he were unsure how to respond after revealing something so personal. Finally, he stammered, "What d'ya mean you don't believe me?"

Fuse leaned against the table to stare his friend in the eye, "You're tellin' me, you and her Ladyship -"

"My wife -"

"You and the London socialite slash agent who decided it'd be a good idea to marry you," he ignored the exasperated glare. "- are having a baby?"

"Yes."

"I don't believe it."

"Fuse -"

"Can ya prove it?"

"In about seven months, sure," Gordon laughed.

Fuse grinned, "Gonna name it after me?"

"What? No - Fuse, we're not naming our first child Clarence," a grimace before he caught himself. "No offense."

"No worries, Squid," the demolitions expert laughed, taking a sip of his beer before continuing. It was enough time for his brain to slip in another jab at his friend, "Clare wouldn't be too bad, now would it?"

"Seriously, not naming -" Gordon paused, blinking as though something had caught his attention, his expression grim. "Okay. That's not bad, but Pen would never agree to it. Besides, we've already got names picked out."

"And they are?"

Amber eyes stared at him as if mulling over the logistics of letting Fuse know the answer to that question. Quietly, Gordon divulged a little more about his family, "Ruth if it's a girl and Leroy if it's a boy."

He wanted to keep a straight face, really he did, but the glare from the man who was expecting the upturn of his mouth and the shake in his shoulders simply made it impossible. Fuse laughed, slapping his knee as he leaned back. 

"It's not funny!" Gordon growled, but the look of understanding simply showed there was more to the names. 

"Sorry, I'm sorry," he tried to reign in his amusement. "I just assumed you had better names than Clarence."

"They're family names," the aquanaut explained. "They're important to us and that's what matters."

"Ah, understood," Fuse would give him that. Family was a pretty big thing to the Tracys. He envied it sometimes, but then Havoc would come home and they'd stay up eating junk and watching movies. He may not have exactly what his friend did, but he was happy with what he had. 

Food arrived moments later, each drooling over the rich assortment they had ordered. It seemed they'd both been missing out on the finer cuisines. Being stuck on an island and in the middle of no where appeared to leave little in the way of good food. 

It was with full stomaches and some time to kill, they found themselves watching the people as they walked by, oblivious to the friends.

"Whad'ya think?" Fuse prompted with a flick of his bottle towards a pair throwing coins into a fountain.

"Hmm," tilting his head to the side, Gordon followed their movements. "He's a warlock from another dimension and she's his new human friend trying to teach him about magic in our world. He finds it quaint and wishes he could take her back to his dimension to show her real magic."

"You've been watching to many romance movies," Fuse chuckled. "My turn - woman sitting at a bench, flipping through a holofeed. Spy. Hundred percent. She's watching her target through the images, using the obviously veggie smoothie as a cover when they're glance her way. Oh, and she's got backup. Old dude, feeding birds."

Gordon squinted, trying to find the people he was talking about. It really wasn't that difficult, seeing as the woman was the only one sitting at the bench, dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. Fuse glanced at the aquanaut with the continued silence and was surprised to see the look of shock on the man's face.

"Oh, crud -"

It was apparent the aquanaut had found the woman, "Uh, problem?" 

He groaned, hiding his face in his hands, "Just kill me now." A pause and he reappeared, "I've got the bill. You might wanna run."

Fuse wasn't going to complain about a free meal, but he was curious why they should cut their time short. Returning his gaze to the woman, he realized the dilemma - she was gone, along with the old man. 

Concern took over and he gave Gordon a quick pat on the back, "If you're good?" A nod and a wary smile. "Alright, talk to ya later. Thanks for lunch!"

"No problem! Call ya if I'm not dead!"

A little dramatic, but it gave him the warning needed to disappear into the back of the restaurant and out towards his transport. All in all, it had been a good trip, regardless of how it ended. 

OoOoOoO

"Gordon," the faux brunette woman took a seat where Fuse had been.

"Penelope," he answered back, through his hands. He felt like an idiot for keeping this from her. Of course, she would figure it out. Why else would he want to take a trip across the world, just to eat lunch? "Sorry," seemed incredibly insufficient.

She didn't say anything, but he could hear the tap of the bioplastic cup against the table, followed by the slow draw of smoothie up the straw. Gordon could imagine a million different responses she could hit him with in this moment and he wouldn't blame her. It had been a ridiculous idea that he and Fuse could be normal friends. Maybe friends was a stretch, but he would've liked to have a connection of some kind. 

Another silence stretched between them and he finally peeled his hands away in order to look over to see his wife. Penelope was watching him with a level of concern he didn't feel he deserved and it seemed yelling wasn't at the top of her responses. 

Suddenly, Gordon couldn't take it anymore as his mouth fell open, "Pen, what -" Her hand lifted and all his words died in his throat. 

"I'm not angry," she started, taking his hand that lay against the table. "A bit worried, but that's fairly normal when it comes to you Tracys. I would, however, like to know your intentions for any future meetings."

He blinked, unsure if he'd heard her correctly, "Future?"

A gentle smile as she nodded, "Well, I assume you two still have much to deal with. I'd rather be involved this time around, if that's alright with you?"

Heart pounding, all he could do was stare at her, looking past the disguise to see the woman he would give anything for. She was doing the same for him, fully aware that he was meeting with an ex-criminal, and willing to allow it to continue - with full support. In that instant, Gordon's love for her became almost overwhelming and it was all he could do to simply squeeze her hand instead of pulling her off the chair and into an embarrassing hug that would have the other patrons eyeing them. Too many of those had warranted the limitation to the island only.

"I'd really like that," Gordon offered through his muddled emotions. 

"Good," it was the kind of response that indicated she was done with the subject and ready to move on to something a little more pleasant. "Now, please tell me this place has something better than Brains' nutrient shakes? I've had just about all I can stomach of them."

With renewed purpose, the aquanaut produced the dessert menu, a knowing grin plastered over his face, "I hear the lemoncello torte is amazing."

A skeptical brow rose, "You 'hear'?"

An easy laugh, "I might've watched a couple eat it while we waited for our food."

"Well, when you put it that way," she was trusting his judgment and he realized it went far beyond dessert. It was just another reason to love her and without hesitation, he caught the attention of his waiter, ready to give his wife everything and anything she wanted. 


	2. Keep Talking

The comm had chimed a little after lunch, Fuse wondering if he should ignore the call, but something in his gut told him it was important. 

When it was Gordon, it was always important.

A bomb needed defusing and there was no one else available to help. Not even his big-brained brother in space could tear himself away from his own rescue situation. 

There was something to be said about having a purpose and it was true now as Fuse grabbed the handbook needed for such a complicated device. So, with a wireless mic in his ear to prevent Havoc from overhearing, they got to work.

Four minutes to work out the solution or the Squid was dead.

"Alright, this model should have multiple triggers. Mess even one up and boom," Fuse warned.

"I know how bombs work," the rebuke was tight with the need to deactivate the device. "Just tell me where to start."

"You gotta tell me, Squid. What do ya see?" Elbows leaned on the table, dark brown eyes scanning the book before him.

"Wires, a button, some weird symbols," as soon as Gordon's words sounded through his earpiece, the demolitions expert was already assembling an image in his mind. 

"Start with the wires. What do they look like?"

"Two black, one blue, one yellow, and one red."

He had an answer, but he also had time. Fuse flipped through the manual until he found the sequence he needed, "Cut the yellow wire."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

A pause and then a chime through the comm, "Okay, did it and now there's a green light."

"Okay, the button now," he let out a breath as his nerves started to wear on him. "What color is it?"

"Uh - green," there was a wince on the other end.

"You okay?" Fuse asked, even knowing the time was ticking past three minutes.

"Yeah, I'm good, now what?"

"Press it, but don't let go," Fuse warned. "There should be a light next to it. What color is it?"

"Yellow."

Cool, easy, "Let it go when you see a four on the countdown."

Another pause as they waited, "Done, green light."

Plenty of time for the next part then, "Alright, tell me about the symbols."

"There're six, top left looks like a backwards c shooting a lightning bolt." 

Fuse looked over the images after turning to the appropriate page, his finger sliding across each one until he found what seemed to match Gordon's description. "Got it, next one?"

"Dabbing h."

"A what?" 

An exasperated sigh, "An h that looks like it's dabbing - Oh! Or an upside down y with a line over the tail."

"Ah," he shook his head before finding the image. "Next."

Two minute mark.

"Alien three with a tail." 

"The hell, Squid."

"It's a three with antenna and a loop coming off the end, c'mon, Fuse." 

He was tempted to hang up, but as he found the symbol, he couldn't help grinning, "Okay, I've got the pattern. Hit the upside down y with the line."

"Done."

"There should be one that looks like two K's back to back, hit that one."

"Got it."

"Alright, and now the ash symbol."

A pause, "The what?"

"The ash symbol," he repeated as clearly as he could.

"I don't know what that is."

Fuse's mouth fell open in dismay, "It looks like an a and an e smashed together."

"Oh! Got it!" There was a grin in the aquanaut's voice. "Now what?"

A brow rose in confusion, "What do ya mean? That shoulda been it."

"It's got a green light, but it's still counting down," Gordon's voice had regained some of his earlier strain.

That didn't make sense - unless, "Are there any other components?"

Almost to the one minute mark.

"I don't see any," a beat where all Fuse could hear was the tick of the timer. "Wait - Fuse! There's one on the back!"

Crud - "Alright, we can do this. What do you see?"

"A row of numbers and a screen with a number on top of them."

Pages flew as Fuse pushed his way through the book. It took him longer than he would've liked to find the strings of text, "This one should have five stages. What number do you see on the screen?"

"One."

"Hit the third number from the right."

Thirty seconds. 

"Got it," his tone was intense as they waited. "Next number is five."

"Alright, should be the number one."

"Should be?"

"- is. It is number one."

"Okay, okay, done. Next number - four."

Fuse read, "If the number on the screen is four, hit the number that was pressed in the first stage."

"What?" 

"That's on you, Squid," he felt the bead of sweat trickle over his temple. "What number did you press first?"

"Um," a pause that took far more time than he would have liked. "I - I can't remember."

"Concentrate, it was the third from the right."

"Woo! I guessed - it was three. Next number is two."

Ten seconds.

Hell.

Fuse read through the instructions for the number. Crap, "Two!"

Five seconds. 

"A zero - Fuse!"

Three…Two…

"It's thr-" One.

An explosion sounded over the comm, the sign that they'd failed, terribly. Fuse let the book fall to the table, leaning back in his seat to press a hand to the earpiece, "Squid?"

Nothing came through other than the rumble of the device. As it died down, he could make out the pained gasps coming from the man on the other end. 

"Squid, ya better be okay."

Another long moment and then a groan through gasped breaths, "Ow ow - shouldn't laugh that hard."

"Idiot," Fuse slumped, fighting the urge to berate his friend. "You're gonna bust a stitch if you're not careful."

"I'll be f- ow," Gordon grunted and the demolitions expert could almost imagine his friend holding the patch that covered the eight inches of laceration. "So, why'd we have to play this on hard?"

Because he was a demolitions expert and anything less would've been too simple, "Cause we needed a challenge."

"Wanna go again? Bet we could beat it this time," but even as the blonde said it, there was the drawl of a yawn before he winced. 

"Next time," Fuse chuckled. "Ya sound like you need a break." Where he had expected a rebuttal, all he received was silence. He'd dealt with Gordon clamming up when he wasn't willing to talk, but this seemed different. Weird how someone could grow on him to the point he could read the hesitation. "Oi, what's wrong?"

A sigh that spoke of the door opening to the true issue ghosted through his earpiece, "Just - tired of getting sidelined. I know it's only been a week, but being stuck on the island - feelin' a bit useless."

"So, playin' a bomb defusal video game seemed like an appropriate option?" Fuse grinned, understanding what his friend was dealing with.

"Better than sitting on the couch watching reruns of Into the Unknown. I mean, I love it, but kinda not as enjoyable with my family off saving the world," and he meant his entire family. Penelope was on assignment with Parker while his brothers were dealing with an avalanche. 

Something in what Gordon said immediately sparked an idea, "How about I pull out my vids and watch from here? Like we're hangin' out even when we're not."

A laugh - not the kind that threatened to tear the aquanaut apart - and he answered, "Okay, no more bombs. What episode? Massive Megalodon? Legend of the Ness? Supreme Swarms?"

Fuse physically shivered at the last one, "Not that one! Definitely not a bug fan. Especially, swarms."

"Got it, no creepy crawlies," mood lifting, Gordon offered the next suggestion, "What about Arctic Adventure, the search for the snow yeti?"

"Classic, sounds good," he had it pulled up before anything else could be put on the proverbial table. "Gonna grab some snacks, then, marathon."

"Ditto," and even though the mic was still in his ear as he headed for the kitchen, he almost missed the soft 'hey' from the blonde. Fuse paused just long enough for the continuation. "Thanks for hangin' with me."

"Any time - y'know, except when our families are around."

Nothing further needed to be said as they prepared for their impromptu movie night, both just happy for some amicable company. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was watching a gameplay of Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes and couldn't help writing this XD hope it makes sense!

**Author's Note:**

> Baby Clare is my new favorite thing! Why do I do this to myself?
> 
> Hope y'all enjoyed!


End file.
